When choosing the song for our music video, it was important to first gain permission to use the track. Copyright laws state that the creator has exclusive rights to their original work as a method of preventing plagiarism. To avoid being penalised for using the track we had to ask the artist permission for a 'fair use agreement'. This means that we would be able to use the track for a non-profit use, so the music video on YouTube couldn't be monetised. Due to the artist's activity on social media, we decided it would be most effective to contact them this way. We messaged them on Facebook to ask for permission, and this means we were able to keep their reply as evidence, should the copyright be questioned. Below is the message from my partner, Rhiannon, and the response we received:
Sundara Karma are an English indie/pop band. The band consists of singer/guitarist Oscar Pollock, lead guitarist Ally Baty, bassist Dom Cordell and drummer Haydn Evans. The band's name is derived from Sanskrit words, meaning 'beautiful karma'. They released their debut single 'Freshbloom' in July 2013, and performed at Reading Festival that year.
LYRICS
MISE EN SCENE
The video has 3 main sections with different sets, lighting and costume. The first one is a family in a living room, which has an old fashioned style. The floral wallpaper and dull yellow colour of the sofa are reminiscent of typical 1970s decor. The lighting is normal, daylight style, with more shadow on the left side of the shot. The costume is plain, each member of the family wearing a different block coloured jumper.
The second set features the band performing. It, too, uses elements that reminisce of the 1970s, with old fashioned televisions in the background of the shot. The scene is dark, giving the idea of is only being lit but the television screens. However, there would be lights offscreen lighting the band members. They are all wearing black and playing their instruments.
Throughout the video there an a number of cutaways to old video footage, such as people dancing or the army. These are bad quality, with grainy footage and in black and white, sepia, or very faded colours. These cutaways cold represent the shadows in Plato's allegory, the subject of the song.
SYNOPSIS
This video is a performance/concept based video. The conceptual parts relate to the subject of the song, Plato's allegory. The old video footage could represent the shadows, and the family repeating motions over and over could be the prisoners. The performance is a typical performance shot in a music video, where the band play and the singer lip syncs.
KEY MOMENTS
0:00-0:02 - As found in most alternative music videos, the video opens with strobe style textures, which then overlay onto the first shot. These give the effect of an old fashioned style, which is a trend in the indie genre.
0:02-0:08 - This establishing shot introduces the family characters, in an interesting way. It is a pan to the left revealing only a portion of the people's bodies.
0:12-0:20 - The family repetitively shake their heads throughout the video, in time with the music. There is a conveyor belt in front of them, and at this point four mugs come onscreen. The family drink from them and put them back down, on the last beat of the introduction.
0:21-0:25 - The first performance shot is the start of the vocals, and is a mid shot of the singer lip syncing into the camera, the conventional way to do a performance shot.
0:29-0:31 - This old video footage is of a freak weather accident, where a house is blown over. It is hard to know if this footage is genuine footage, as it looks very old, however the old effect is realistic, and it would be difficult to recreate on a modern camera.
0:36-0:40 - A takeaway meal comes onscreen on the conveyor belt in front of the family, and they pick up cutlery. These shots are repetitive throughout the video, where the family interact with each object that is on the conveyor belt.
1:00-1:04 - The harmony of the songs drops out at this point, and the singer onscreen lets go of his guitar and lip syncs into the camera. Not playing his instrument here matches the music.
1:06-1:08 - This old video cutaway is the titles from an old cartoon. Further research into this has found it is an actual cartoon, 'Ali Baba the Mad Dog of the Desert', from the 1940s. Therefore I can conclude that all the old video footage is genuine, and as there are some army shots, these could be from WW2.
1:09-1:10 - A spiral effect, where the camera goes inside the old fashioned televisions.
1:20-1:22 - The family scene again, but this time the dad character is replaced by a member of the band, even wearing the dad's blue jumper. This could represent how the singer feels he is one of the prisoner's in Plato's allegory. The family represent the prisoners in their odd reality, and the band member is part of that.
1:24-1:25 - The same thing is used, where the girl is replaced by a band member. He is wearing the same pink jumper the girl had on.
1:27-1:28 - The boy is replaced this time, with a band member wearing his green jumper. The family are still shaking their heads but the band member isn't, highlighting him as different.
1:33-1:35 - Finally, the lead singer takes the place of the mum in the family, wearing the white jumper. As they shake their heads, he looks directly at the camera and leans on the table, juxtaposing how the mum would behave.
2:08-2:11 - The lead singer lip syncs to the song in a different location - sitting on the sofa where the family are. It is a close up so we can't see the rest of the family.
2:41-2:45 - This shot mirrors the opening shot of the video. It is a pan to the left of the band members sitting on the sofa, wearing the same jumpers as the family was.
3:40-3:47 - There is a crossfade from the family on the sofa, to a series of tv screens against the floral wallpaper, all showing old tv shows.
The Hunna are an English alternative rock band from Hertfordshire formed in 2015. The members are singer/guitarist Ryan Potter, lead guitarist Dan Dorney, bassist Jermaine Angin, and drummer Jack Metcalfe. They take inspiration from a variety of artists, including Kings of Leon and Queen. Their debut album 100 was released in August 2016, which debuted at#3 on the UK Indie Chart. They have headlined at Reading and Leeds Festival, and toured the UK in January 2017.
LYRICS
MISE EN SCENE
Overall the video has a faded and muted colour grade over it, which is typical of indie music videos. A number of old and abandoned looking locations are used, further emphasising the style of the song. The first 4 shots of the video are very short establishing shots, showing the locations that will be used later on in the video. There are also credits over these shots, a convention only found in alternative music videos. These are the record labels and production company for the music video. The name of the band, title of the song and director of the music video are then over the next shots. After these credits the video properly starts, with a drum kick starting the main part of the song.
Some thing else that is used often in alternative music videos is overlays. In this video there are overlays and cutaways to textures and words that add to the 'indie' feeling of the video.
SYNOPSIS
This video is a performance video, where the majority of the video is the band playing the song. The rest of the video is made up of cutaways to people dancing and drinking, and there are tableaux style shots of the 'concert' attendees looking at the camera.
KEY MOMENTS
0:00-0:02 - The video opens with fast cuts of different overlays, reminiscent of old films. This is followed by a shot of the band, establishing who they are and introducing them to the viewers. 0:02-0:12 - There are a number of establishing shots of the various locations that will be used in the video. On these shots are the credits for the video and the track; record label, producers, band, song title, and the video director. 0:13-0:23 - This is where the video properly starts. There has been singing before this, but at 0:13 there is a drum kick and overlays onscreen that match the rhythm of the drums. The song picks up here, and the action onscreen matches it. There are a number of handheld style, mid and close-up shots showing a party happening. Alcohol and drinking games are shown, as well as some slow motion shots of the people enjoying themselves. 0:23-0:25 - This is the first of many 'profiles' of people in the video. Throughout the video, close up shots with a shallow depth of field are used to show the other people in the video. Sometimes they look directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall, or they do certain actions such as smoking. 0:28-0:48 - This is where the chorus starts, and the first time we see the band performing in the video. There is a notable change in the style of filming for performance sections, while it is still handheld, the cuts are a lot faster and there is more movement. For example, at 0:29, there is an upward pan going up the guitarist. This is split in two, as a cutaway to a different shot comes halfway through the pan. This broken up style is used often, emphasising the relaxed style of the video. This could be linked to the laid-back attitude of people who have been drinking, who just care about having a good time. 0:49-0:51 - Another profile style shot, this time of a group of people. These shots are almost like living photos, where the people pose as though a photo is being taken of them, but there is slow motion movement. In this, there are some close ups of members of the group, where the other people are out of focus behind them. 0:58-1:02 - A number of shots of people dancing to the music. The first of these is a girl dancing, looking directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall. The other shots are of people dancing at the party, in slow motion. These are mostly close ups, again in the handheld style to show the movement of the people. 1:03-1:36 - Again, the chorus has the band performing. This chorus is slightly longer, but the style of filming is the same as the previous camera. The handheld and broken up style continues, with the fast cuts matching the pace of the song. 1:37-1:44 - A piñata is used in these shots, seeming out of place with the dark, grungy atmosphere of the video. However, it could be seen that the piñata represents the relationship discussed in the song. The singer is leaving the relationship behind, and the breaking of the piñata could represent the destruction of the relationship. 2:04-2:18 - This is the longest shot in the video, lasting 14 seconds. It is an extreme slow motion shot, with the band and the other people all crowded together. This is at a slow moment in the song, so the slow motion fits well. They are throwing streamers, glitter and confetti up into the air, seemingly in celebration. This could be celebrating the end of the relationship in the song. When the music picks up again, as it goes into a third chorus, there are a couple of shots of the same scene but up to normal speed. These shots cut in time with the guitar introduction to the chorus. 2:18-2:26 - There are fast cuts that fit with the fast chorus, cutting between the band playing and more 'profile' shots of people. 2:42-2:50 - The last note of the song is sustained as the singer turns away from the microphone. There are a number of shots of the people watching cheering and shouting, but these have no sound. 2:51-2:54 - A forward pan towards the singer sitting on the empty rooftop. There are strobe style overlays as it cuts to the singer in the same place, but this time with people dancing behind him. 2:55-2:56 - More overlays as it cuts to a spilled drink lying on the ground, the remains of the party. 2:56-2:58 - The final shot in the video is of the singer and the band members moving towards the camera, looking directly into it which breaks the fourth wall.
